Sir William Johnston of Kirkhill (1802–1888) was a Scottish engraver, mapmaker and local politician, who served as

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

from 1848 to 1851.

Life

He was the third son of Andrew Johnston, by Isabel, daughter of Archibald Keith of Newbattle, born at Kirkhill,

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

(now part of

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. Na ...

), on 27 October 1802; Alexander Keith Johnston was his brother. He was educated at

Edinburgh high school The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

and after serving terms of apprenticeship, with the Edinburgh engravers, Kirkwood & Sons and William Hume Lizars, began business on his own account as an engraver on 1 December 1825. The following year he founded with his brother Alexander, the publishing firm of W. & A. K. Johnston. On 2 December 1837 he was appointed engraver and copperplate printer to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. Johnston was elected a burgess on 28 July 1828, and on 21 August following was sworn high constable of Edinburgh. He was elected on 14 May 1830 secretary, and on 21 March 1831 moderator to the high constables for the remainder of the term of office of his predecessor, who had resigned by way of protest against a declaration in favour of political reform issued by the high constables. On 4 April he was elected moderator for the year. In October 1831 he was appointed a member of the dean of guild court, and on 26 September 1832 was sworn of the Edinburgh town council. On 11 April 1839 Johnston was admitted a guild brother of the city of Edinburgh, and that year served again as moderator to the high constables. On 10 November 1840 he was elected a bailie of Edinburgh. During the economic distress of 1842 he presided over the Edinburgh committee of relief, and it was his suggestion that led to public works "The Meadows" and "The Queen's Drive" round

Arthur's Seat Arthur's Seat ( gd, Suidhe Artair, ) is an ancient volcano which is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue ...

. From 1848 to 1851 Johnston served as

, and on 26 August 1851 he was knighted by the queen in

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...

. In 1852 he was elected a fellow of the

Scottish Society of Antiquaries The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

. In 1859 he was taken to court by David Dobbie, as Chairman of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Bank, for statements he had made before its collapse and takeover by the

Clydesdale Bank Clydesdale Bank ( gd, Banca Dhail Chluaidh) is a trading name used by Clydesdale Bank plc for its retail banking operations in Scotland. In June 2018, it was announced that Clydesdale Bank's holding company CYBG would acquire Virgin Money for ...

. In 1867 he retired from business to an estate at Kirkhill near

Gorebridge Gorebridge is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Gorebridge has an annual Gala Day which always takes place on the 3rd Saturday in June. This is much like a town fair, with rides and games. The gala day has a tradition of picking ...

, which he had purchased in 1848, and where he died on 7 February 1888. He was buried on 10 February in the

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...

, Edinburgh.

Family

Johnston married twice; first, on 13 March 1829, Margaret, daughter of James Pearson of

Fala, Midlothian Fala is a hamlet in the south-eastern corner of Midlothian, Scotland, and about 15 miles from Edinburgh. Location The parish of the same name is about five miles long from east to west, and one mile broad from north to south, and contains about ...

, who died on 13 June 1865; and secondly, on 23 October 1868, Georgiana Augusta Wilkinson, youngest daughter of William Ker of Gateshaw, Roxburghshire, widow of

William Scoresby William Scoresby (5 October 178921 March 1857) was an English whaler, Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman. Early years Scoresby was born in the village of Cropton near Pickering south-west of Whitby in Yorkshire. His father, William ...

. His only child, by his first wife, was Elizabeth Whyte, born in 1830, who married

Robert Edmund Scoresby Jackson Robert Edmund Scoresby-Jackson FRSE FRCPE FRCSE (1833–1867) was a short-lived but influential British physician and historian. He specialised in the effects of climate upon health. Life He was born Robert Edmund Jackson on 12 November 1833 in ...

, and died in 1879.

Notes

External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, William, Sir 1802 births 1888 deaths Scottish engravers Lord Provosts of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish businesspeople